Humbled at TED

Humbled at TED

I'm at my first TED Conference this week, and while I've watched countless other bloggers around me pounding out post after post summarizing different presentations (which I won't do -- feel free to see the site for official stuff), I've been struggling to find something to write about.  Then it hit me today.  I kind of feel at this conference the way I did when I started college.  Totally humbled.

I was #2 in my class in high school.  Straight As, a few A+s thrown in for good measure.  Then I got to Princeton and felt like an idiot.  I was convinced I was bottom quartile at best.  Everyone around me was either like me or better, smarter, more intellectual, more well rounded, taller, thinner, better looking, better teeth, the works. 

This conference so far has been the same, and I mean that in a good way.  The sessions have varied from fascinating to boring to Bill Clinton cool to Paul Simon and Jill Sobule entertaining to completely over my head.  My fellow TED attendees include royalty, billionaires, captains of industry, Oscar winners, and dignitaries.  Add it all up, and there is a giant aura of accomplishment and intellectualism in the room that makes me feel like bottom quartile at best, maybe more like bottom decile.  That's a great thing, though.  It's always good to have a reminder of the larger global issues, picture, and opportunities, and a window into the people thinking about solving them.

Comments

[will]

what does one have to do to get invited? atleast you are there . . . how do you think being home makes me feel :)

[Chris Yeh]

Matt,

No matter how famous a person is, they're still only human. Bill Clinton has to get up in the morning and put on clothes, just like you and me.

Treating the successful as if they were on another plane simply perpetuates the belief that you'll never achieve the same kind of success. Which is rot.

Success isn't a god-given right, or a sign of divine favor. It's the result of smarts, hard work, and a good dose of luck. And you shouldn't treat a guy any differently just because he has a few extra zeros in his bank account, or a few extra interns in his pants.

[David Geller]

Glad you enjoyed TED2007. It was my second time and I enjoyed it immensely. I continue to be impressed with the caliber of the attendees. With regard to Clinton and with all due respect to a previous commenter - he's not like other people. If you've ever seen him speak or work a crowd, or get to witness, first-hand, his memory skills you'll know that he's a very special invidual. Sure he's human. But he's one heck of a gifted, pasionate speaker with uncommonly good presentation skills. Those are some of the reasons he became President. I definitely treat him differently - and with more respect. He's earned it.